Resources

Identity in Christ: Small-Group Resource

We all want to discover our ‘true selves.’ Some of us attempt to find ourselves by travelling the world, getting ahead in our careers, building a family or changing our bodies. But the reality is that no matter how hard we try, the ‘true self’ seems to elude us. Jesus said, “Whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it” (Matthew 16:25). Once we lose ourselves to Christ, paradoxically, we find our true identity.

In the last decade we’ve witnessed a significant and rapid shift in social attitudes towards gender and sexuality. Many people are choosing to define themselves in ways that only a generation ago would have seemed impossible. A person’s identity seems to be something that can be modified with a simple change to a birth certificate. But identity is much more than just a name in a legal document. It’s the deepest and fullest expression of who we are.

As Christians our identity is found ‘in Christ’. But what exactly does this mean? In this six-session study we’ll explore what it is to be in Christ: that we are freed from sin, adopted into God’s family, members of Christ’s body, and much more. My hope is that we’ll be able to see that our identity isn’t something we have to create ourselves but that we can have freedom, acceptance and eternal hope through Jesus.